Raw Food Diet Cost and Misc Questions

[Ivan]

Here's our experience:

Shortly after adopting these two, we had many vet visits for allergies, skin issues, bloody stools, vomiting, diarrhea, UTI, etc. The final straw for us was Holly desperately needing to pee every 1 or 1.5 hrs, due to developing new kidney issues that stumped the vets. Perhaps related to Chinese treats? Various prescribed medicines didn't help. We spent lots on vet bills. We tried Rx shampoos, different "premium" foods, Rx food, etc. It wasn't working. So we searched for some alternative.

We were skeptical of raw diet. It seemed wacko, weird. We read about raw prey model, and it made sense. So one day we donated the kibble to a shelter and just switched to raw fresh meat. The dogs took to it immediately, and happily. They really love eating fresh food.

Months later, they're so much healthier. Kidneys rebounded. Skin cleared up. Fur is now thicker & shinier. No body odor. No stinky breath. They poop much less. No vet visits needed, at all.

This morning, they went for annual wellness check & vaccines. Vet was impressed how healthy they are, and esp. impressed how youthful Holly is for her age. Wow, big difference! Teeth were great, no issues, at all. Yay!

This raw diet is working well for us. We couldn't be happier. I regret waiting so long to switch to raw, and wish our previous dogs could have enjoyed its benefits.

We feed them once a day, giving them the largest possible hunk for longer chewing time. They scarf it up fast, in one spot. Ours don't drag it around, nor do any resource guarding. They eat on their own mats, which can be thrown in the wash. Between washings, we spritz vinegar & also hydrogen-peroxide on mats after feeding, as a disinfectant. http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/...leaners-2.html

The prey model aims for 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organs. That's over time (eg, over 1 or 2 weeks) not each day. That's very little bone. They eat all varieties of meat: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, goat, lamb, etc. It helps to have a freezer.

Bones must be raw, not cooked. And covered in meat. But avoid thick weight-bearing (eg, leg) bones of large animals (eg, beef) which can crack teeth. Even Holly (a 10# mini) now easily eats all bones in pork ribs, drumsticks, turkey necks, etc., even though half of her teeth were missing before we adopted her. Bones are 100% digested, we never see any bone fragments in poop.

Raw feeders closely watch poop. Yes, that's what happens. It guides whether bone vs. meat ratios need adjusting.

All of us on DLC want the best for our dogs, and we all do what we can.
This experiment has worked excellently, for us. It may not work for your dogs? But then you can always switch back to kibble. One size doesn't fit all. But we've seen a transformation with our own eyes, so we would not go back to kibble. Even for the cat (now on raw).

Here are some interesting reading sites we found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3wLTlqnMMg
http://preymodelraw.com/2010/12/24/w...plain-logical/
http://rawfed.com/myths
http://rawfeddogs.org/rawguide.html
http://preymodelraw.com/getting-started-quick-start

Feel free to PM me, if you have any Qs.

[LouisianaLandry]

Thank you thank you thank you everyone! This has been most helpful. I got onto the Yahoo board as well. Although I may not stay on there long. Too many aggressive opinions for me! (To think that I used to be very opinionated!) I need to get a little meat on Sassy's bones and Sam could be a glutton if I don't watch him. He is my little muscle man now. I want him to stay healthy.

Thanks again!